The Other Siders
by SwiftintheSky
Summary: Kay is kidnapped and stolen away to the Animal Crossing world with no way of return.  But it's not as happy as the games make it out to be, and Kay may be the only one able to save it...  Reviews highly appreciated.
1. Grounded, Sort Of

I, Kayla Blue, stared out the window of my upstairs bedroom. Stars sparkled in the deep indigo sky, and a white curved slice of moon glowed a bright unearthly shade of silvery white down on the world below. I sighed, running my fingers through my dark brown hair. It hung down to my shoulders, where it curled slightly inward.

Another fight with my brother, another grounding, and another couple hours seething in my room. _More like a half hour seething, a half hour feeling sorry for myself, and then an hour boredom._ I picked up my iPod touch - its back was smooth and cold - but quickly put it down again when I realized I'd forgotten to charge it. None of my books sounded interesting, either. My eyes fell on my DS lite. It was completely black in color, and the tips of my mouth turned slightly upward. _Might as well get in another 20 minutes of gaming before the grounding really takes off._

I positioned myself cross-legged on my bed after retrieving the DS, resting against two comfortable sky-blue pillows. I flipped the handheld device open, turned the sound down all the way, and flicked the on switch. In a few seconds, Nintendogs came on, my virtual shiba inu and chihauhau scrambling to meet me. I briefly thought of popping in Animal Crossing: Wild World instead, but decided against it as the irresistable chihauhau puppy on the screen bowed playfully.

I lost track of time as I fed the puppies, cleaned them, took them for walks, and ensued in endless other activities. With dinner already eaten and my teeth already brushed, I had no reason to leave my room. After an hour or so, I saved my game and set the DS aside. I changed into my favorite fluffy winter pajamas, turned off the light, and settled into bed, carefully tucking in the creamy-white sheets.

As I drifted off to sleep, I promised myself with a faint smile on my face, _Tomorrow I play Animal Crossing._

If only I knew...

A/N: Sorry for such a short chapter! The next one will be up soon, and it's longer. A little. I actually have the next chapter written out, but I have to type it up, go over for spelling mistakes, revise, you know the drill. Well, did you like it? If you did, please review and tell me so! The more reviews I get, the more motivated I'll be to write and post more chapters!


	2. Spirited Away

The minutes passed. My eyes drooped and sleep overtook me.

The hours passed. I was deep in the recesses of a dream.

My digital clock blinked midnight, and then it happened.

I was jerked cruelly out of sleep with a well-placed kick to the chest. My eyes flew open, I was completely winded, and as I gasped for breath like a fish on land, what seemed to be a shady appartition fastened a cloth tightly over my mouth.

Terror pulsed like a dark wave within me. A cry rose in my throat, stifled by the bandana. _No!_ Pure fear. I kicked, but a strange smell rose from the bandana, and as I breathed in, dizziness made my head swim, and consciousness faded.

When I woke up again, I was in a rough dark bag. My eyes flittered open. _What?_ I stretched out my arms, feeling out the coarse sides of the sack. _Where's my bed?_ Alarm seared through me as I remembered the night's previous events, opening my mouth to scream, re-discovering the bandana barrier. _Kidnapped._ The thought fluttered through my mind, and my heart sank.

Then my head began to throb.

_Great. I'm being carried from my home like a sack of potatoes, by some random pyschopath._ A shiver ran through me._ To do who knows what to me._

I wrapped my arms around my legs. _And my head is throbbing_, I added darkly. I shuddered; even in my winter PJs it was cold in the sack.

My kidnapper shifted the sack to his, or her, other shoulder.

Anger rose in my chest. Was I really just going to _let_ myself be carried away from everything I had ever known? I kicked as hard as I could, the best I could in the confined quarters, where I figured the person's back would be.

The person swore at me. Yup, definitely a guy. I swore back at him. He shook the sack, and my nose knocked against my knee and joined my head in throbbing. Great. Now it was bleeding. I pressed my nose to my hand, leaned against the back of the sack, and waited for my fate to come. At least I had _done_ something.

Anger, fear, desperation, hate. Practically every negative feeling I've ever had, plus a few more, swirled around the whole trip there - wherever we were going. My legs got stiff. My head felt a little better. My nose stopped bleeding. And then, _then,_ the guy slowed to a stop...

A/N: I'm SO sorry I haven't updated in so long! I've just been extremely busy, with real life activities and with other fics, plus it's hard to get on the computer at all around here! Well, the story just got a whole lot darker... I hope all of you continue to keep reading! I actually have the first 5 chapters written, I just have to post them, so watch out for an update or two sometime in the next week.


	3. Insanity Level Reaches Max

I hadn't moved for a while, and the guy lowered the sack to the ground, probably thinking I was asleep. There was a slight scraping noise on the ground next to me; he was turning around. "We've got another one," he reported coldly. Instantly I was in listening mode. There was _another_ person here?

"Good." Another guy. Sounded older than the first.

"Should I take her in?" That's when I realized I shouldn't be lying around, trying to figure out my kidnapper's deep dark secrets. That's when I realized this was an opportunity to _escape_. I scrunched up my body, then inched forward, like a worm. What else was I supposed to do? It's not like I could stand up and walk.

"Yes," the other guy answered. "We don't want the Rangers to show up."

Scrunch. Inch. Scrunch. Inch. Scrunch. Inch.

The first person, my kidnapper, grunted in response and turned with a scraping sound to pick up my sack.

! "The little worm is getting away!" he growled, dumbfounded. With a few long-legged bounds, he grabbed the sack and slung it over his shoulder. My nose slammed against something. Again. And started bleeding. Again. And the guy started walking. Again. Getting deja vu yet?

He stopped abruptly, waiting. _You do _not_ know how much I hate you,_ I thought. I wanted to scream it, but unfortunately the dude had been smart enough to bring that drugged bandana.

I heard steps - the other guy, since my kidnapper had stopped - a creaky sound, grunting, a huse clanging clamor, a muttered curse word. Suddenly, something seemed to land heavily on my kidnapper (I could feel it through the sack), and he gasped, stumbled, and fell, dropping the sack roughly on the ground. Before I knew what was happening, the sack's opening was sliced open, and I tumbled onto the damp earth. I must have been quite a sight, my face and hands streaked with tears and blood, dark circles under my eyes, my hair messy and unbrushed.

And I was staring into the face of... a... cat.

Well, kind of. It had the face of a cat, the paws and tail of a cat, the fur of a cat. But it was bipedal, standing like a human, wearing clothes, and had on a red football helmet.

What I was seeing clashed with the basic laws of nature. It was impossible. This was a dream.

Wouldn't I like that. It was much too real to be a dream, and I knew it. I let out a moan from the back of my throat and the world went black.

When I woke up again, I was lying across the backseat of a bus. The bandana, thankfully, had been removed. I could feel something, a wet washcloth it felt like, gently wiping my cheeks. I kept my eyes closed. For some reason, it didn't seem to be the right time to open them.

"Those poor souls," a weary voice sighed, a woman's voice. "When will the Shade stop? It grows worse every passing year. We pretend our villages are safe and secure, but what about Savannah?"

"Now, Kitt," a gravelly, accented man's voice began. "Ye know, we all know, the Rangers take risks. And we plan to stop this, before too long, me hearty."

My eyes fluttered open, and I stared straight into the face of a kangaroo... thing. Like the cat, it was humanoid, with clothes, but it had the head, tail, feet, and paws of a regular kangaroo. Its sandy-colored fur was short and fine. Its wide eyes blinked back at me. In one paw, it held the wet washcloth it had been using to wash off my face.

I started to tremble. _This isn't happening._ Pulling myself into a sitting position, I skittered back and cowered against the bus wall. The kangaroo-thingy took a step forward.

"D-don't come any closer!" My voice quavered.

"It's OK, child," it soothed. "I know you've been through a lot in the past few hours, but you're going to be fine." The voice I'd thought belonged to a woman. A regular human woman.

My breath came in short gasps. I pressed harder against the wall.

"What's your name?" a young boy's voice chimed as a head popped up above the seat in front of me. It was a cat-thingy. Like the cat-thingy who'd sliced open that cursed sack, but it was definitely a different one. Its head was covered in black fur with a splash of white at its muzzle that streaked up the middle of its face. Its eyes were wide and yellow with tiny black slits for pupils.

I couldn't take this. I couldn't. My brain felt like it would explode. I bolted down the bus aisle. "Whoa, Nellie!" It was that gravelly, pirate-y voice from before. The bus jerked to a stop, and a snapping turtle-thingy jumped out in front of me to block my way. I didn't slow down.

The new cat-thingy and the one from before landed on my back in quick succession, tackling me to the floor. The kangaroo-thingy looked on nervously.

I managed to throw my hands out in front of me, so I landed on my hands and knees. I was at least a head taller or more than any of these... animals, luckily. I heard the engine of the bus roar back on.

"Don't try to run," a feminine voice hissed. That would be the brown-furred cat with the red football helmet. I let out a muffled noise. I wasn't sure what it was supposed to mean. "Promise." I shook my head. The bus lurched forward and sped down the road. I swayed, trying to keep my balance.

"You can't get off the bus, anyway," the black cat told me in that annoying nasally voice of his.

"What!" It wasn't exactly a question.

"Think about it," the brown cat said coolly. "Jumping off a bus at 70 miles per hour? At best, you'll break maybe your ankle and we'll come back for you. At worst? You'll break your neck and die."

"I promise," I squeaked. The two cats slid off of me, and I pulled myself into a bus seat. "Now what do you want with me?" I demanded.

"We rescued you, child," the kangaroo said softly.

"Where are we going?" I asked edgily.

"We be goin' to Crystalia," the snapping turtle chimed from the driver's seat. "It be a small town, but a good one. I be Kapp'n. And you be?" He threw in a question before I had a chance to ask any of my own.

"...Kapp'n?" The name clicked. Animal Crossing. This was Animal Crossing! I peered at the other faces in the bus. Kid Cat. Rover. Kitt. You might think I would have freaked even more, but it actually helped to calm me down significantly. Anything familiar on this night of horrors was soothing, even if I'd previously thought it was only possible in a video game. So I simmered down, chatted with the animals, and waited to arrive at Crystalia. I never asked about going home, or anything - I don't know, maybe I expected that they would take me home once we got to Crystalia, or something totally different, but I don't remember really thinking about it.

By the time we pulled into view of Crystalia's grand main gates a couple hours later, I was pretty much resigned to the fact that Animal Crossing was, well, real.

But I had a few questions nagging in the back of my mind. Who were the Shade? The Rangers? And why didn't the whole world know about Animal Crossing's existence.

A/N: Well, that was definitely the longest chapter yet. I hope you guys enjoyed it, and watch out for the next chapter sometime in the next week. Oh, and you might want to try "The Cherry Blossom Festival" - it's a oneshot/poem that I wrote for Animal Crossing. Anyway, please tell me what you thought of the latest chapter! Oh, and for anyone who read it before, sorry! To make up for it, I posted chapter 4 today, too!


	4. Arrival

I guessed that it was about 3 A.M. when we finally made it to Crystalia. It was still very dark, since it was the middle of the night, of course, but there were bright streetlights placed periodically on either side of the streets. When we pulled up to the main gates, the huge lights stationed by them went up a notch brighter. They illuminated the stone in front of the gate as well as most of the gate itself, which was made of long planks of wood and gave the place quite a medieval feel.

There was even a little gatehouse off to the side, and an Animal Crossing monkey with a flashlight stepped out to greet us. By now, my eyes were getting heavy with sleep, but I fought to keep them open. I'd only gotten two or three hours of sleep before... before _it_ happened. He reminded me a lot of Porter, the monkey who ran the train station back in the GameCube game, and he wore a policeman's outfit. "Kapp'n, that you, eek EEK?"

"Keep it down," Kid Cat hissed, pushing down a window and sticking her furry head out.

"Oh, Kid Cat," said the monkey loudly. Something seemed to click in his monkey brain. "Don't tell me it was the Shade again?"

"Yes, another kidnapping." Rover's head popped out of another window. I tried not to yawn. "Her name's Kay."

I resisted the temptation to push Rover's furry butt out the window, which was right in my face as he leaned out the window. At least he had pants on. I would _have_ to push him if he didn't have pants on.

I finally gave in to a yawn and started down the aisle of the bus. Kitt and Kid Cat followed; maybe they lived in Crystalia? I bid my farewells to Rover and Kapp'n, who waved goodbye cheerfully. Exhaustion was taking its toll.

Kapp'n and the monkey exchanged quiet words with Kid Cat, glancing at me. Then the monkey sprinted back to the gatehouse, and the gate shook, groaned, and creaked, then slid up smoothly. Kid Cat, Kitt, and I walked through. The monkey wished us good luck, and the gate rumbled down behind us, stopping with a jolt on the hard earth.

After that, I was practically asleep on my feet. I stumbled blindly after the two animals. Eventually the stone beneath my slippers turned to grass, then stone again, wood, and finally carpet. The pair helped me up some stairs and into a bed, complete with soft sheets and a fluffy pillow.

"Sweet dreams, child," Kitt whispered. I was already half-asleep. Then the door clicked shut and I was free to enjoy dreamland.  
_

A/N: I posted this chapter today, to make up for yesterday's Chapter 3 disaster. Well, I hope everyone's still liking the story. I'll run out of pre-written chapters after the next one! ;) So, anyway, see ya next time on Chapter 5!


	5. Crystalia, Day One

My eyes fluttered open. Sunlight streamed through the openn shades and onto my pillow. I yawned, and with a luxurious stretch I rolled out of bed. It was the weekend, so no school to attend. I frowned as I remembered that I wouldn't be able to go to school even if it was a weekday, since, last time I checked, I was in some random town called Crystalia. I sighed and gazed around the room. Being so tired I could barely make it to bed last night, I hadn't been able to take in my surroundings.

The room was pretty small. It had creaky wooden floorboards and bare walls. The bed was near one corner with plain creamy-colored bedsheets and a pillow derived of a pillowcase. Backed up against the wall on the other side of the room was a dresser painted cream, nothing too special, but at least it _had_ paint unlike the walls. The expanse of floor between the lone furniture itmes was empty, but still only allowed for a couple of steps. Good thing I wasn't claustrophobic. Two windows bled sunlight through the windowshades, and a staircase in front of the room led to a lower floor. It was all very familiar, just like the room you had in Animal Crossing for DS.

I frowned again when a musty smell hit my nose, the same smell I often encountered in my grandma's attic. _My family will be looking for me,_ I realized with a pang. _Hopefully I'll be able to get home by tonight._ But while I was here, I'd might as well make the most of it. I struggled to push up the window, wincing when it screeched and moved up, but at least the room was airing out now.

I crossed the door in two steps and peered into each dresser drawer. They were all empty, and I groaned as I realized I'd have to spend another day in my PJs and slippers. What to do now...? Oh! I'd better get the details of my return trip sorted out. I clomped down the stairs, into the none bigger but definitely more empty first floor. It was completely bare, sporting the same flooring, walls, and twin windows. There was another door on the right, but I ignored it and went out the front door.

For some reason, there was an expanse of cobblestone surrounding my house, just like in the game. Why? I wasn't sure. It's not like anyone had _cars_. Except for Gracie. Which brought up the question, why didn't anyone but Gracie have a car? I walked off in a random direction with the intent of bumping into someone who could direct me to... well, wherever I needed to go, I suppose.

It was a beautiful day, one of those rare spring ones where it's the perfect temperature, not too hot or cold, and not too humid or buggy, or anything. One of those days that make you wish they could last forever.

Leafy trees were growing everywhere out of the soft green grass. Flowers budded on the limbs, promising an abundance of fruit come summer.

It was a beautiful place, all in all, with plenty of green. All of a sudden, a loud yell pierced the air ahead. I hurried forward, bursting into a large area completely devoid of trees. Some sort of park, or something, I supposed. A purple cat with darker purple splotches, and large eyes with tiny pupils, had just been tackled by a white cat with red streaks and narrowed yellow eyes. "I won, meooo-OH," he insisted. The purple cat struggled beneath him.

"Fine," muttered the purple one with a put-out expression.

I stepped forward. "Hello?" I called.

The two looked up and stared at me with eyes like a deer's caught in the headlights. "A... human?" mumbled the white and red-streaked cat, relaxing his grip in wonder.

The purple cat took this chance to spring to his feet. "I'm Bob!" he saluted, hand on forehead and everything.

"Can you show me to the... er.. town hall or something?" I asked.

Bob stared blankly. Apparently, he wasn't the brightest crayon in the box.

"That a-way," the white and red one replied promptly, pointing east.

I thanked them and continued on my way, until I reached a break in the rows of trees again and a rather small (for a town hall), low building spread out in front of me. I jogged across the cobblestone, my heart pounding so hard I didn't bother to reflect on the purpose of the cobblestone again.

I ran smack into Kid Cat, who stumbled back in surprise.

Her eyes narrowed into slits and she said, "We've been waiting for you."  
_

A/N: Well, there's the latest chapter. I just HAD to put Kabuki in there. Also, thanks to Fororensu-chan for all of her awesome reviews! Thanks!


	6. Refusal

I hesitated at Kid Cat's reaction, then nodded and followed her into the town hall. It looked pretty typical, with two long desks, behind which two pelicans were sorting through heaps of paper. A recycling bin was pushed up against one wall. Behind the desks, more cabinets spilled paper onto the floor and two doors waited to be opened.

"Kaya, is it?" a voice asked. Whirling around, I saw a... well, a bird, a blue jay, to be specific. He was watching me with intelligent, interested black eyes.

"A-actually, everyone calls me Kay," I stuttered, unsettled by the bird's sudden appearance.

"I'm Song," the blue jay explained, "and I am the mayor of Crystalia."

"Mayor?" I echoed, like a total idiot. It's just that I wasn't exactly expecting a... bird for the mayor. What was I expecting? I don't know, probably a tortoise like Tortimer or something. But Song was obviously not a tortoise.

"Yes, mayor," he replied, crossing his wings over his chest as if faintly amused.

"Well, Song," I began, trying to compose myself, "I was looking for the Town Hall to get the details of my return trip sorted out." Kid Cat and Song exchanged a long glance, and then they turned to me, leaving me quite confused.

"I think it would be better if we discussed this in my office," Song said finally, and I nodded. He and Kid Cat led me back behind the desks, where the two pelicans were still bent over their papers, and to the two doors at the back of the building. Song opened the one on the right, and we stepped inside.

A swiveling, comfy-looking chair on wheels sat behind another desk, and a couple of other chairs were placed in front of the desk. Song took the chair behind it, and Kid Cat and I plopped down in the other two chairs. "So, Kay, I suppose you've had your first brush with the Shade."

"Th-the Shade?" I asked, puzzled. "That's beside the point. All I want is to get home!"

Song and Kid Cat exchanged another glance. I was getting sick of this. What was with them and their secret looks? Song sighed and began heavily, "You can't return home, Kay."

"What do you mean, I can't return home?" I asked incredulously, glaring at the blue jay. His black eyes gazed into mine, sadness resting deep within them.

"It's... hard to explain," Song told me with a shake of his head.

"If you can't explain it, you might as well let me go," I argued stubbornly.

"It's impossible," Song persisted, "and for many reasons!"

"Then tell me!" I demanded, standing up now, my face reddening. I cast fierce glares at the two animals in the room. Drawn up to my full height, I was taller even than Song.

The blue jay paused, as if deciding whether to tell me or not, then sighed again and said, "Very well. The first reason is the Shade - "

"Who are they?" I interrupted, but he crossed his wings over his chest and stared at me until I sat back down, quieted by his gaze.

"As I was saying, the first reason is the Shade - and that is a story for another time - who would capture or kill anyone who tries to escape. And the second reason is that, quite simply, it's impossible to get back to the other side without help." I looked at him with questions written all over my face. "The bus is special, and the result of many painstaking hours of work and experimentation. It can cross through to the other side because of that. But it would be impossible for you on your own. I know what you're thinking, we could just drive you back, but it's not that simple."

"And why not?" I demanded, but Song only shook his head, evidently unwilling to reply this time. Kid Cat answered instead.

"You'll know when you are ready."

Scowling, I stood and stomped out of the room without another word. I stomped past the pelicans at their desks, causing them to stare at me, but I didn't care. As soon as I set foot out of the town hall, I broke into a run, my feet pounding the earth as I raced myself. My heart beat faster and faster, and the tears that leaked out of my eyes were stolen in the wind. I don't know how long I ran, or where I thought I was going. I only knew that I ran like the world was going to end.

Then my foot hit a rock, and I went flying, hitting the ground hard. Scrapes stung on my knees and face. I got shakily to my feet, and heard the whisper of the ocean as waves crashed against the sandy shore. I was at the beach. I started to leave, until I saw an animal, blocking my path - a golden retriever, staring at me with wide eyes. "Wait," she whispered, "Don't go."

**A/N: **Sorry I haven't updated in so long! I was just busy with other things, and then I was procrastinating... but at least there's finally a new chapter. I really had to update, because I won't be able to until around June 30th or so because I'm going on a camping trip for a week. Anyway, I like the Kid Cat in my story. She's kind of this cool, collected character in the story even though she's supposed to have a peppy personality. I guess that's just how it worked out, huh? ;) Please review!


	7. Goldie

I froze, and we just eyed each other for several long moments. "I'm... Kay," I finally said, very aware of the wild tear tracks on my face and my red, puffy eyes.

"Well... I'm Goldie," the golden retriever replied. Her voice was soft and her eyes, which had looked like a frightened deer's, were less nervous. "Wh-where did you come from?"

"Vancouver, Oregon," I murmured without thinking. Talking to Goldie helped me take my mind off my troubles. It felt nice.

"Wait," said Goldie, her brownish-gold eyes puzzled. "Is you town called Vancouver, or Oregon...?" Then she gasped, one copper-splotched paw flying to her muzzle... er, mouth. "You're not from the Other Side, are you?"

"How do you know?" I asked incredulously, trying to keep my jaw from hitting the ground.

"Most humans here... are from the other side," Goldie explained, lowering her paw to her side.

My heart skipped a beat, then sped up, pounding excitedly in my chest. "Most humans? You mean there are others like me in Crystalia? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

But my joy was cut short. Goldie seemed shocked, and she shook her head, quickly replying, "No, woof, not in Crystalia. I meant... most humans on this Side in _general_." She made a sweeping gesture with her arm, as if to encompass the whole Animal Crossing world. My spirits dropped, and I scuffed at the sand with the tip of my slipper. Still in my PJs, unfortunately.

"Oh," I muttered, averting my eyes.

"Um, well, nice to meet you," Goldie told me hurriedly. It seemed like if she were a dog, well, a _proper_ dog, she really would woof. Her voice was soft, each sentence a single, audible exhalation, becoming softer at the end. Song's had been that way, too, rising and falling, the words sounding slightly clipped, like birds twittering. "Er, tell me if there's any sign of the Shade," Goldie concluded, and hurried away, breaking into a run.

"Wait!" I called, but she paid no heed. "What's the..." My voice trailed off. She was already out of earshot, and I sighed heavily. Even a normal townsperson - townsanimal - like Goldie knew what the Shade was, but I, who had come into direct contact with them, didn't! It wasn't fair. _They shouldn't try to protect me,_ I thought. _I want answers, and I want them _now.

Well... what to do now that Goldie was gone? I could talk to the other animals... explore Crystalia... try to find out more information... or poke around my house. The second choice seemed most appealing. If I bumped into any animals on the way, I could chat and ask about the Shade, while learning the are as well. I needed to, since I would be staying here for a while. Tears threatened to surface again, but I forced them back down. I wouldn't be here forever. I would escape, in the end.

Which way to go...? My town in the DS game had a river that ran into the ocean. That would be pretty easy to find, considering I was on the beach.

I trotted along the opposite way Goldie had ran, which was, by the way, east. The sun warmed by back, and I pulled off my slippers. My feet sunk into the sun-warmed sand, golden grains sifting between my toes. It felt great.

Bits of shells and half-sand dollars lined the beach closer to the ocean, but they were scarcer where I was walking. I made sure to step over the ones I did see. A lone palm tree sprouted from the sand next to a small two-room house. It was cute, with the same charm a cottage would have. Me? I was just surprised it had two rooms. The ones in the DS game always had just one room. _Maybe the other one is a bathroom? _I guessed, then, with an audible giggle, _I hope so!_

A rushing noise met my ears, the sound of water tumbling over rocks. I sped up, my heartbeat quickening as I propelled myself closer to the noise. There it was, a sparkling river that flowed into the ocean. But unlike the DS rivers, it parted, flowing around a fair-sized island like a moat, before joining again and flooding into the ocean. Two bridges spanned the river to the island, one on each side. _Wow! Jon would love playing on it,_ I thought with a pang. My younger brother Jonathan had always been as adventurous and rambunctious as they come. Sighing, I trotted off toward the closest bridge, the westmost one.

My bare feet retaliated at the stone bridge's heat. The sand had felt nice, but now the sunlight was stronger and the bridge was scorching. I slid my feet back into my slippers. As I crossed, my fingers skimmed the handrail. It was nice that whoever built the bridge had the common sense to add one; it had always seemed unsafe that the ones in the game didn't have any. I stepped onto the island's shore, rolling my eyes as I once again took off my slippers. The sand just felt too darn _good_ on my bare feet!

Palm trees rose out of the sand, some bearing coconuts and others none. Scrubby plants grew in clumps. Many wielded thorns, but others bobbed exquisite flowers at me as if in greeting. As I neared the center of the island, trees grew more thickly and greater amounts of brambles dotted the landscape.

I peered out of a gap between a particularly thick row of trees and bushes, and I had to suppress a gasp. There was Goldie on her knees in the center of the island, her furry paws clasped together. Her mouth moved but no sound came out, and salty tears trickled down her face.

I turned and ran wordlessly the way I had come.

A/N: Not all flowers and butterflies in the AC world, huh? Anyway, now that school is out and my vaycay is done, updates should be much more frequent, every few days, I'd think. And thanks to my readers for all the reviews! Out of all my stories, this one wins first for most reviews; it has double the reviews of the story in second place!


	8. Cookies and New Friends

**A/N: Every few days? Man, I'm a liar. Sorry about the lack of updates. I'll try to get into the routine of updating quickly. And now, on to the replies, which I've decided to do in the A/N.**

**Fororensu-chan: Thanks! I've never actually had her in my town, but she seemed to fit the personality I was looking for.**

**Kitsune Demon Girl: Nope. But don't worry, in another couple chapters here we'll get some info on 'em.**

My feet pounded over the bridge. Once on the main part of the town, I leaned againsted a flowering apple tree to catch my breath. The air smelled notably of apple blossoms. What had happened to Goldie to make her act like that? It almost seemed as if she were... praying?

I took a deep breath to calm myself. _I'll just... keep exploring. Yeah, that's right._ But as I set out at a brisk pace to the other side of Crystalia, the haunting scene tugged at the back of my mind. Trees rose up and I began to recognize the terrain. I knew I was in the general area of my new home - I shoved down a wave of sadness as the thought crossed my mind - and I was about to pass the small dwelling when I heard a clear, crisp _ding-dong_.

_Is someone ringing my doorbell?_ I wondered, and decided to take a small detour to see who was at my door. I turned north, in the direction of the ringing. Soon I stepped into the clearing, on the cobblestone driveway-that-isn't-really-a-driveway.

Standing rather uncertainly in my doorway was Kitt. She wore a new red-brown dress which matched perfectly with her fur and clutched the handle of a woven handbasket in her paws. A fold of cream-colored fabric covered whatever the contents of the basket were. The kangaroo's face lit up when she saw me, a smile splitting her muzzle. "Oh, Kay, I was just dropping by to see how you were doing," she explained.

"OK, I guess," I mumbled, my eyes straying to her basket with an unspoken question.

"Did you meet up with Song?" she asked sympathetically, and I nodded, trying to stay numb as anger and disappointment swelled within me. _Core of ice. Core of ice. Don't think about that._ I managed to suppress the feelings, mostly, and looked up at Kitt helplessly. "Well, then consider this a cheering-up present," the motherly kangaroo said, holding out the woven handbasket, which I took. I noticed the fabric was warm, heated by whatever was underneath it, and when I lifted the flap a generous batch of fresh chocolate chip cookies stared up at me. The chocolate chips were melted and inviting.

"Thank you!" I exclaimed, forgetting for a moment about my troubles. "May I have one?"

"They're all yours," the brown-furred marsupial confirmed, and I reached in for one of the cookies. The taste of gooey, chocolatey goodness and soft, brown sugar-tainted cookie dough flooded my mouth.

"These are delicious!" I murmured through a mouthful of cookie. I swallowed and reached in for another, but instead of eating it myself I offered it to Kitt.

"Thank you, child," she said politely, accepting the treat. "I'll be seeing you around, I suppose. If you need anything, my house is on the other side of the river. Now I'd better get going. I have a house to tidy up before company arrives this evening."

"Bye, Kitt," I called as she walked off in the direction I had come. "Thanks again for the cookies!" Kitt sure was a kind animal. I couldn't keep a smile off my face as I sat the basket of cookies on my bed after entering the house. The room had aired out significantly with all the fresh air circulating through it.

I didn't want to waste the warmth of the cookies, so I popped one in my mouth, and, rather guiltily, took another in my hand. Soon I was once again trekking through the woods, although I was starting to notice paths through the trees. Some were narrow and barely distinguishable from the ground around them, while others were wider and well-trodden. On a whim I took a path of the latter type just to see where it would lead, munching my cookie.

I came out in a large rectangle of grass free of trees. But it had one key feature, a large play structure like one you'd see on a playground, complete with a swing set, slides, several types of monkey bars, and a jungle gym. Laughter came from two small figures shooting down a long, curving slide. As they landed on the grass, I could get a better look at them.

One was a black-furred puppy with bright amber eyes and a white ring around one eye. The second was a young rabbit, whose fur was a light reddish-brown. She had one cream-colored paw, which she was sucking on, and a red rose tucked into her fur by her left ear. "Hi," I called tentatively. One of the bunny's long, straight ears twitched, and she turned in my direction.

Her eyes widened. "Hi!" She ran up to me, practically bounching up and down. "Oh, wow, a real live human! I'm Ginger, what's your name?"

"Um... uh... Kay." I finally managed to spit out my name, a bit flustered.

The black puppy scrambled up to us, looking equally excited. "I'm Yip!" he exclaimed, his little tail wagging back and forth from a... well, hole in his pants. I suppressed a giggle at that detail.

It was strange; both young animals seemed to be about seven or eight. In the game, every animal was an adult or at least in their late teens. But I'd seen quite a range of ages in Crystalia. There were adults like Kitt, Song, and Kapp'n in their 30's, 40's, or later, animals like Rover who seemed to be in their early 20's, and mid- to late teenagers like Kid Cat, Bob, and Kabuki. Goldie seemed to be about my age, and now I was meeting young children. However, it made sense, and I found myself wondering why the games didn't implement that sort of variety. "Do you... do your parents know you're out?" I asked.

"Yup... well... I think he does," Yip mumbled. "He doesn't really have to. I mean, I was just going to the park."

"No fair," Ginger pouted. "My mom always makes _me_ ask her." Yip glared at her in annoyance.

"What are their names?" I said quickly, not wanting to be caught in the middle of a fight.

"My dad's Lucky," explained Yip.

"And my mom is Bunnie," Ginger added. My eyes widened. I remembered Lucky had once been in my town on the DS. He hadn't seemed the fatherly type. Bunnie I didn't recall, but I tried not to giggle at her name. Bunnie the bunny!

Yip's amber eyes lit up, and I realized he'd seen the cookie I still held. "Can... can I have a bite?" he asked tentatively, as if he knew he was being rude. I looked reluctantly down at the scrumptious cookie, then remembered I'd already eaten two and broke it in half, offering a still-warm piece to both young animals. Yip smiled widely, revealing sharp white teeth, and bit into the sweet treat.

"So what've you been up to?" Ginger asked conversationally as she nibbled daintily at the cookie.

"I was exploring Crystalia. I _am_ pretty new here," I admitted, fiddling with my thumbs.

"Really?" Yip asked curiously, starting to get excited. "Let Ginger and I show you around! We're part of Yip's Exploration Team of Fun and Excitement. Only elite explorers can get in," he added seriously. "So? What do you say?"

I paused. What did I have to lose? These two seemed like pretty good company, for the moment. "Okay," I accepted.

"Yesss," hissed Yip, punching the air with his fist. "Let's get going!"


	9. Yip's Exploration Team of Awesomeness

**A/N: This is probably going to be the longest chapter yet. To make up for the extremely long wait for an update, I decided to write the next chapter immediately. OK, now for the replies. Thanks to everyone for reviewing and making this my most popular (or at least most reviewed) story of all!**

**Fororensu-Chan - Nope, sorry, I'm not dead yet. ;) As you asked, here's the next chapter! Thanks for all the reviews.**

**Kitsune Demon Girl - Yeah, they're pretty cute. You're about to meet another equally cute animal but not quite as energetic.**

I was about to reply when Ginger interrupted, "Can't we pick up Nip first?" She put on her little-princess-pout and looked up at Yip.

I tried to say, _Nip?_, but once again, one of the young animals beat me to it. "Nip's my brother," explained Yip. "And I guess you're right, he is my brother... okay, fine. We go get Nip, and then we take Kay on a tour!"

So I found myself jogging to keep up with the two as we crashed through the forest, ending up going the way I had come. We burst out of the trees and without hesitation, Yip started across the bridge to the island with Ginger at his heels. I paused, the memory of Goldie on the island flashing through my mind. We couldn't run in on her, looking like that! "Wait!" I called, stopping just one step before I was on the bridge. "We can't go there!"

"Yes we can," Yip argued, rather arrogantly. "Everyone in Crystalia is allowed there. We play there all the time." I bit my lip and tried to think up a reply, but the two turned and dashed onto the island, soon out of sight behind the swaying palm trees. I sighed and ran after them, hoping I could catch up and stop them in time. The broad green leaves of exotic-looking plants whipped against my legs and the trees and undergrowth started thickening. I knew we were nearing the clearing where Goldie had been, and heard laughter up ahead.

Just then, I burst into the clearing, but Goldie was gone. The soft footsteps in the sand that showed she had been there were trampled over with the double prints of Ginger and Yip. My heart pounding, I did the only thing I could do; set off at top speed toward the two young animals.

Before I knew it, I was hurtling onto the beach on the opposite side of the island, and I propelled myself over the bridge to the other side of Crystalia. There, Ginger and Yip were panting as they leaned against a budding pear tree, and I did the same, trying to take deep breaths. "Guys! Why'd you leave me so far behind?" I asked as I caught my breath.

"We didn't really _mean_ to..." Ginger said, looking up at me with large, adorable eyes. I couldn't help but smile.

"So, are we going to pick up, er, Nip?" I continued. I noticed a smattering of small pale yellow pinpricks across his muzzle, which I hadn't seen before - I guess I wasn't examining him too closely, because they were so small they were a bit hard to see. But once you noticed them, it lended more to his appearance of resembling the night sky.

"Yeah, our house is right up there," Yip replied, gesturing northward with a pitch-black paw. I caught sight of two small homes up the way and sparsely scattered pear trees. It was rather strange that suddenly the trees switched from apple trees to pear trees. Maybe someone did that on purpose, cultivating an orchard of foreign fruit, like AC game players often did. "So let's get going."

The two young animals bounced to their feet, and I stopped leaning against the pear tree, following them as we trekked over the uphill slope. Once the ground leveled out, I saw a small pond several yards behind the pair of houses. More trees grew around it, larger and thriving. A shack was placed right next to the pond. I didn't have much time to think on it, though, because Yip grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the nearest house. It had several rooms, which I was beginning to accept since it was a lot more realistic than the one-room dwellings of the DS games. However, it was still very small, nowhere near the size of an average house in the real world - or rather, the Other Side.

It was white in color with navy trimming, with a small, neat garden behind a small white-picket fence. It was directly below a window, which was about half-open, presumably to let in the fresh spring air. Yip skipped right up the doorstep and twisted the doorknob, walking right into the unlocked house. "Hey DA-AD!" he called loudly. "Can Nip come out to play with us? We're exploring!" I could see right into the small living room which consisted of a couch, TV, and a desk with a computer on it. I could see a few doorways leading into other areas of the home.

Lucky's head appeared out of one of the doorways, and I couldn't stifle a small gasp. Lucky looked just like the one from the game! His head was heavily bandaged, with one yellow eye glowing out at you from a small patch of exposed pitch-black fur. A pair of floppy, velvety black ears poked out from the mass of bandages. "Sure, I'll ask him." I heard footsteps, a door opening and Lucky's voice asking, "C'mon, it's a beautiful day. Go play with your brother."

"OK," an indifferent voice sighed, not exactly excited but not exactly disappointed, either. Seconds later another puppy appeared. This one was kind of a smoky gray color with a pale yellow paw, well, the Animal Crossing equivalent of a hand. He had one smoky gray ear and one sky blue ear. His amber eyes strayed to the small group assembled at the doorway. "Who's your friend, Yip?"

"I'm Kay," I declared. "I'm pretty new around here, so Yip's giving me a tour."

"Yeah, well, I'm glad you decided not to leave me out," Nip said, hurrying over to us. "I know Crystalia as well as Yip does!"

With that, we were off. First the young animals showed me the other house on the other side of the river; it was Kitt's, as I had suspected. Next they led me to the pond. "Nip and I love fishing here," Yip explained enthusiastically, nudging his brother. "Right, Nip?"

Nip nodded and gestured to the shack, which upon further inspection said "Gloria's Bait Shop" in big letters across the top. Various types of bait, lures, bobbers, and rods covered the walls and shelves of the small store. "We always buy bait from here. Gloria is a bird, but she's not here right now. She's probably off in some nearby town, buying new items to restock her store."

"Yeah, but she trusts us, so she lets us take things from her store as long as we right her a note and put the money right in the cash register," Yip yapped. That struck me as very strange. _I guess the Animal Crossing world has different standards than mine. If Gloria has known them for a long time, then... I guess they would trust each other._ They also pointed out a house farther up the strip of land that I'd never noticed before, which belonged to Gloria herself.

After that, we proceeded to travel down the slope again. There wasn't much else to see, so we crossed the island and stepped onto the main side of town. "Ooh, Yip! Can we do the tailor's next?" Ginger suggested, putting on her puppy eyes - which was rather funny, because she was using them on an actual puppy.

Yip considered. "Well, we'll get there eventually. Let's go along the beach first and then head up toward the town square, okay?"

"Okay!" Ginger agreed happily, falling back to skip along by my side. As we walked along the beach, my two small tour guides explained the two-room house I'd seen earlier belonged to Bob. I remembered the rather dim-seeming purple cat I'd met on the way to the town hall earlier. I blinked back tears at the memory of what had happened at the town hall, continuing along the beach. "Sometimes bottled notes wash up," Ginger whispered to me as we walked. We saw a couple other houses along the beach. One belonged to a tiger named Pine, and the larger house was owned by Goldie. I wondered why her house was so big, considering I hadn't met any of her family members.

"Goldie's house is so big," Yip said. "She used to live there with her mom and dad and brothers - ow! What was that for, Nip?" This sparked my interest. I hoped Yip would tell me more about the mysterious golden retriever.

"We're supposed to be giving her a tour, not telling her everyone's life stories," Nip scolded, as if he were Yip's mother or something.

"Yeah, but I already started, so I might as well finish the story," Yip snapped back. Nip rolled his eyes but said nothing, allowing his brother to continue. "They were all captured by the Shade. Goldie's really quiet now."

"You mean she wasn't always?" I asked, trying to gather up my courage to ask him about the Shade. He probably wouldn't tell me. No one seemed to be very eager to tell me anything.

"Well, I mean more than before," admitted Yip.

We were about to move on. _It's worth a try._ I blurted it out, "Who's the Shade?"

"You know, the bad guys. They're always attacking villages and stuff. Good thing we have the Rangers to protect us. I wanna be a Ranger when I grow up!" Yip said enthusiastically. "Now let's get going! We have a lot more places to visit!"

I followed them along the shoreline, thinking about what he'd said. I knew there was more to the Shade than being "the bad guys". That I had already known. But, he'd said the Shade would attack villages. That was a new bit of information. And they'd stolen Goldie's whole family! I hoped I wouldn't have another run-in with them. My expression darkened as I remembered how I'd been told they were the ones who kidnapped me in the first place.

I was falling behind, so I had to jog to keep up. We turned north and continued through the forest. We saw one more house on the way there, which I was told belonged to the pelican sisters Rose and Taylor. "Rose wouldn't be there today. She takes the day shift at the town hall. Taylor might be there, but she'll probably be sleeping." It was Ginger who informed me, for a change. She kept re-arranging the rose in her fur, which was threatening to slip out and fall on the ground.

Then we made it to the Crystalia Town Square. Several businesses were arranged around the cobblestone town square. In the middle of it a large fountain was placed, spewing clear water into the air, which soon was re-used by the fountain again. A few animals were walking around, some carrying shopping bags and some heading into the stores. I spotted a dark, red-brown tiger with pitch black stripes walking into a shop that proudly declared it was called "Nookway". _That's the shop I have in my DS game!_ I realized. _And that must be Pine._ Sitting on a bench by the fountain was that cat with the red stripes on his white fur, who'd told me which way to go to the town hall.

"That's Kabuki on the bench," Yip told me. "He's kind of mean-spirited. He has his own house in the woods near the river." _Mean-spirited? He seemed pretty nice to me._ "Let's go into the shops!"

"Crystalia Tailors' first!" Ginger insisted. The black puppy could do nothing but nod. Nip said nothing, just smiled and followed the rest of us quietly toward the shop. As we stepped in, Yip loudly declared we were on a tour of Crystalia, causing me to blush. Once inside, two hedgehogs immediately ran up to us. My eyes wandered over the store, taking in the racks of accessories and the mannequins displaying the newest fashionable outfits, the hampers filled with bolts of cloth and other supplies and the two desks with the cash register and the sewing machine on them.

"And who could this be?" asked the male hedgehog, a twinkle in his eye.

"I'm Kay," I told him, my eyes finally done roving and locking on the two prickly animals.

"I'm Thorn," he declared. He gestured to the other one. "And this is my sister, Skye."

"What can we do for you?" asked Skye. "We just got in a new outfit from Forest Springs."

Ginger took a step forward, her eyes sparkling. "From Forest Springs? I love their fashion sense! Where is it?" Soon Skye and Ginger were yakking like crazy, and Ginger was pulling a bag of Bells from her pocket, and Thorn just rolled his eyes with this amused look on his face. "I just got my allowance!" Ginger squealed. "Ooh, this shirt looks nice. Or maybe I should buy this cute sunhat."

Nip had on a similar expression to Thorn, while Yip just boggled. Thorn sidled over to us, whispering, "I think she's going to be a while. How about you continue your tour elsewhere and come back for her in an hour or two?" Yip gladly agreed, and we made our escapade from the tailors'.

Our next stop was Nookway. I met a teenaged raccoon named Jim Nook, who explained that his dad had thought it would be good practice if he ran a shop in a small town for a while. Jim had pretty much _everything_ in his store: from furniture to toys to food to anything you could think of.

My feet started to hurt about then. Yip had us trekking all over Crystalia, to the museum where we were greeted by an owl named Cricket, to the wishing well at the other end. He didn't seem to have any sort of pattern to it. We also wound around to the dump and the main gate. The Porter wanna-be turned out to be called Bananas. It was a fitting name. After that we galloped off to the park where I had first met Kabuki, and the playground where I first set eyes on Yip and Ginger. It didn't help that we had to track down _every single animal's house_. I pretty much had met everyone already - or at least set eyes on them - except for this family of frogs. There was the mother, Reed, the father, Drift, their eleven-or-so daughter, Lily, and a tadpole-thingy that seemed to be about the equivalent of a two-year-old, named Wave. There was even a restaurant called Starsight - The Family Restaurant, run by a mole named Joe. It was really neat and retro-looking. Yip bought us all Kids' Meals for dinner, and I ate fish sticks with chips. Nip and Yip both ordered hamburgers - well, Nip ordered a cheeseburger, but it's practically the same thing.

We stayed out until well after dark, and then looped back to pick up Ginger, who was beaming and hoisted several bulging shopping bags. We finally parted ways, and I returned to my house, where I realized I had no toothbrush, toothpaste, comb, or anything, and no Bells to buy any of those things. So I went to bed with dirty teeth.

My favorite place had been the wishing well. It was surrounded by a circle of cobblestone and several benches. Water spurted up into the air, flinging delicate drops into oblivion. At the bottom, countless Bells gleamed. Yip had explained that it was one of the most popular places to hang out. It was the spot where the most holidays and festivals were held, after the Town Square, of course. As we left, I caught sight of Goldie, walking up to the wishing well and flipping one small Bell into it. I was exhausted tonight as I was lying in my bed. It wasn't long before sleep arrived to bring twisted dreams of the day into my mind.

**A/N: Yeah, I got lazy at the end, but... it would get boring really fast if I wrote every second of their exploration in detail... You'll get to see what the museum and diner actually look like in another chapter or so here. Sorry, but it was getting really long and boring to write, and it's no use writing something that doesn't interest you.**


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